State of the Television

I’ve got lots of writing on my docket today, everything from finishing up a short story for my last guest post at GayYA.org on Monday, to more revisions on my time travel novel, to a couple of commentary pieces, but on top of all of this, I’ve had a strange week of television, so in no particular order, here are my observations:

DirecTV needs to come out with its own pay-for Internet service if it’s going to host shows as terrific as Damages, because the trees in my back yard prevent me from actually receiving their satellite signal. This is wholly unacceptable.

Anyone who wants to record the episodes of Damages on a VCR and mail the tapes to me, I’ll be forever in your debt. I’ll write something for you. Or mail back cookies and strawberry jam in return. Let me know.

CNN can not make up for the lack of substance in its lineup by acting like the GOP primary debates are some new kind of occupational challenge show.

The “slave ship” episode of Bones (that reran this week) was really, really overwrought. What is Fox trying to make up for here?

Skins was canceled, as was V, this week. It’s just coincidence, people.

No sooner did Anthony Weiner resign from Congress than he received an invitation to star as himself on Entourage. Okay, I could watch that, I admit it.

And if I’m going to get HBO to watch it, I may as well catch this way interesting sounding pilot from Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon, on WWII, called Hobgoblin. Apparently Darren Aronofsky is on board, too.

Marti Noxon, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will begin consulting for Glee’s next season. This means the show will officially have writers. With all that free time, what trouble with Ryan Murphy get into?

NBC won the contract for the rights to broadcast the next several Olympics, even though the competing bids offered to show every single Olympic event on TV or on the Internet. Great. Another decade of “human interest stories” instead of the freaking sports. This sucks.

Audiences are still captivated by the Casey Anthony murder trial, or should I say, audiences over 65 years old. This has got to be the most boring “trial of the century” ever. Even the Long Island Lolita attempted murder courtroom saga had more panache than this. But my mother and grandmother-in-law are fascinated. Count it as two points for the trashy set. It’s also doing no favors to incest or sexual abuse survivors.

Memphis Beat started back up this week on TNT. My own brother will be in the fourth episode this season! Be sure to watch for David Jacobs’ performance.

Have a great weekend, folks!